The cooperative OP Platinum launched a new project based on the increasing attention of consumers to healthy eating. The project is called Coltiviamo Salute.
Salvatore Astuto
This is not just a consumer trend, but the growing desire on the part of consumers to seek only the best for their own well-being through vegetables that are not only pesticide-free, and therefore certified zero residue, but also environmentally sustainable and packaged in totally recyclable packaging. In this context, there is also a Nickel Free product, to avoid the risk of allergies.
"We have invested in research and development to obtain a product
that could be considered a truly healthy and nutritious crop. We have come across several agronomic innovations that we were able to implement on the farm. Sustainability for a business starts from revenue, so we started to improve yields with the introduction of soil. Our journey continued with zero waste, which became a constant in all our greenhouse productions. Next came the arrival of eco-friendly packaging with the use of cardboard and PLA, totally recyclable. Finally, we were one of the very first companies in Italy to produce with a nickel-free certification to cover the part of the population that is allergic to this heavy metal."
"In short, regardless of the commercial reasons, we believe we have made huge strides forward, to the point where we can be considered one of the major references for national large-scale retail trade. Besides this, we benefit from a geographical position that somewhat penalizes us from a logistic point of view, but that makes us incomparable in terms of production quality."
"We are confident that, with the decreased availability of product in heated greenhouses in Eastern and Northern Europe, we can fill the production gaps in high-quality horticulture. While Poland has discontinued a large part of its cultivation under heated and lighted greenhouses, things are not going so well in Belgium, Holland, Germany, and France, where a drop of at least 30% in winter production of tomatoes and other vegetables is estimated. Whoever in Europe is looking for a healthy, sustainable, good, and highly certified horticultural product, will find us the best possible solution."
"Our references include long eggplants, violet, striped, and cherry tomatoes, as well as dates, smooth round, midi plum, ribbed, ox heart, colored, and green tomatoes. The ox-heart tomatoes are ready to be harvested, making up for the current production shortages in the north of Italy. The Sicilian product is also sustainable because the cultivation greenhouses do not need to be artificially lit and heated. With 360 sunny days a year, even exotic essences can be cultivated here in Sicily,” concluded Salvatore Astuto.
For more information: 
Salvatore Astuto
O.P. Platinum Soc. Coop. Agr.
C.da Piombo, s.n.
97100 Ragusa - Italy
+39 330 814094
+39 339 4191445
[email protected]
www.opplatinum.it